POSTED BY: KEN CIRCEO, MSS Lead Tech Writer

So our Director of Product Management, Clint Patterson, said we need a new blog, a TEAM blog, a blog that everyone on the Speech Server team can contribute to.

"What do we name it?" I asked.

"Think of something."

Now, Clint isn't really that curt. In fact, he's such a darn nice guy that I didn't even mind doing the busywork to get this thing up and running. But the name was another issue. That's not busywork, that's creativity. And, as anyone who watches The Apprentice knows, it's hard to be creative on demand. Either you have an idea, or you don't.

I didn't.

Enter Tillman, a writer whose office is next to mine and who is somewhat familiar with the creative process, having (in a former life) written, directed, and produced an entire motion picture.

"How about something from the movies?" he said.

"Big surprise coming from you. What have you got in mind?"

"'Bring Out Your Speech'"

"Umm...Python?"

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"Kind of oblique. I had to think about it."

"No more oblique than the Exchange team. They use 'You Had Me at EHLO' for their blog."

(thinking...thinking...) "Oh, like from 'Jerry Maguire'. Man, that *is* oblique. I'd really like something more recognizable."

We spent 15 minutes batting more names around: "Daily Speech," "Edge of Speech," "Speechland USA," "Can We Talk," "Listen to This," "Yakkety Yak," "Prompt Your Grammar."

Even "Takin' it to the Speech" (apologies to the Doobies).

None of them stuck.

Then Tillman gets this crazed look in his eye and says, "I got it. We'll call it 'You Talkin' to Me?' It's recognizable and it applies to the technology."

"I don't think Clint's going to like it. It's overused, it's trite, and it doesn't exactly come from the greatest context. I mean, DeNiro was a nut job in that movie, right?"

"He's a nut job in every movie. But it doesn't matter because the phrase has taken on a life of its own. People use it all the time but they don't necessarily associate it with Taxi Driver. It's just a phrase. But even if some people do remember it from that movie, it was so long ago that it's not really crazy anymore, it's nostalgic."

"I don't know..."

"Let's let Clint decide," said Tillman.

"He's not going to like it. I know Clint."

"Care to make it interesting? Say, lunch?"

"You're on. I'm getting hungry anyway."

We emailed the idea to Clint. He loved it. "You nailed it, guys! Just drop the question mark and let's run with it."

"Whatever you say, Clint. So when do you want the blog to go live?"

"Soon as possible."

"MSDN or TechNet?"

"MSDN."

"Can I post the first entry?

"Knock yourself out. Any other questions?"

"Just one."

"What's that?"

"Can I borrow some money for lunch?"